Her Story
by Tina101
Summary: Gabriella has a secret that's tearing her up. How can the gang help her?
1. Surprise!

_Her Story_

**Chapter 1: Surprise!**

Gabriella Montez had great news to share with her friends. It was their last year at East High School, but that wasn't the best part. She found her long-time boyfriend, Troy Bolton talking to their friends Chad Danforth, his girlfriend Taylor McKessie, Ryan Evans, his girlfriend Bri, Sharpay Evans and her boyfriend Zeke, and finally Kelsi and her boyfriend Jason. They were a weird bunch of students, but also some of the most popular. Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason were all on the basketball team together. Gabriella and Taylor competed in the Scholastic Decathlon, and Kelsi, Sharpay, Ryan, Troy, and Gabriella were all in the Drama Club together. They were best friends, and could always count on each other.

"Hey, gorgeous," Troy said as Gabriella approached the group. Gabriella smiled, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey yourself," she replied.

"So, Gabi, what's this 'big news' you texted me about before school?" Taylor asked her friend. Gabriella smiled some more.

"My Mom's getting married!" she announced. Everyone was thrilled about this, but especially the girls.

"To that Ian guy?" asked Kelsi.

"Yeah, I get to 'bond' with him this week while my Mom's out of town for some conference."  
"That's great!" Taylor shrieked. "He's really nice. I'm glad your Mom finally found someone worthwhile." Everyone agreed. Gabriella's Father had walked out on them when she was just 2 years old, and it's been her and her Mom ever since.

"Hey, don't forget my pool party this Friday. It's at 5:00," Chad reminded her.

"I'll be there, don't worry about it." The bell rang, signaling that they had to get to class. Unfortunately, homeroom was now in the middle of the day, so they all had different classes to go to. Troy kissed Gabriella, and whispered goodbye.

"I'll see you on the roof during free-period today," she said to him quietly, and she left.

On her way to class, Gabriella passed Coach Bolton. Coach had gotten over his original disdain for Gabriella, and now he and his wife approved of their son's long relationship with her, and felt lucky that he had picked such a sweet girl.

"Hello, Coach," Gabriella said as they passed in the hallway.

"Why, hello Gabi. Anne wants to know if you'll be coming over before Chad's pool party on Friday," he replied.

"Tell her I'll be there. I'd better get to class."

"Wouldn't want to end up in detention." She smiled.

"No, I guess not. I'll see you later."

School seemed to drag on forever, but then again, every Monday does. Troy walked Gabriella to the corner of her street, and continued home with Chad. When Gabriella got to her house, her Mom had already left. She left a note on the counter for her.

_Gabi-_

_Please be good this week. I'll call whenever I can to make sure things are going well. Have fun at the party this Friday, I told Ian about it before I left. Be good!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

Gabriella folded up the note, and threw it away. Then, she found herself a snack, and began to do her homework. Around 5:30 she heard Ian come home.

"Gabi, you here?" he called out.

"Yeah, I'm upstairs finishing up my homework. I'll be down in a second!" she replied. She finished her sentence, and closed her history book.

When Gabriella got downstairs, Ian was digging through the refrigerator looking for something to make for dinner.

"Looks like we'll have to go shopping tomorrow," he said as he closed the door. "How does pizza sound for tonight?"

"Great, I'll get the phonebook." Gabriella opened the pantry, and pulled out the phonebook so they could order.

"So your Mom told me that you're going to a party on Friday. I guess she already asked you who's going to be there and everything, but I'm going to ask you all that stuff too."

"Okay." Gabriella began to flip through the large book looking for the number to her favorite pizza parlor.

"Where's this party?"

"Chad Danforth's. He lives about 2 ½ blocks away next to Troy Bolton's."

"Who's going to be there?"

"Chad, Taylor, Troy, me, Ryan, Bri, Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi, and Jason. That's it. And yes, Chad's parents will be home, and Troy lives next door, so his parents will be keeping an eye on us too."

"How do you know these people?"

"School."

"Have you met their parents?"

"Yes, Coach Bolton is the basketball coach at East High, so I see him in the hallway all the time. I've also been to Chad's house for a project a few times last semester. I've also been to Troy's house a lot."

"Now, Troy's your boyfriend…right?" Gabriella nodded.

"Oh, and I'm going to Troy's house a little early. The party starts at 5:30, so I'll probably go to his house a little before 5."

"Your Mom never told me about that. I don't know if I feel comfortable with that. You should come home and get your homework done."

"I'll have all weekend to get my homework done. Plus, I'm sure my Mom just forgot to tell you that part. I get home at 2:30, so I'll do what homework I can, and finish the rest after I get back at 11."

Something about Ian change. He no longer looked like the kind man that Gabriella knew. He seemed almost mad that Gabriella wouldn't listen to him. The truth was, her Mother had completely forgotten to tell him about her going early to Troy's, and was going to call them the next day to tell him. That wasn't soon enough for Gabriella though. Ian brought his hand back, and slapped her across the face. She was so surprised by the force that she hit her side on the marble countertop.

"You will finish all your homework _before_ you go to that party or you won't go at all. Do I make myself clear, young lady?" he demanded. Gabriella was so surprised that all she could do was nod.

"I'm not hungry anymore," she said quietly before retreating to the safety of her room where she spent the remainder of the night.


	2. The Beginning of the Secrets

**Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Secrets**

When Gabriella woke up the next morning, Ian was already gone. He left for work about an hour before she was even awake. When she pulled on the black t-shirt she was going to wear that day, she noticed the start of a bruise on her side where she had hit the counter.

"I have to be careful not to get on his bad side again," she reminded herself. She grabbed some money for lunch and a piece of toast for breakfast, and ran out the door.

Troy, Chad, and Taylor were waiting for her on the street corner when Gabriella arrived. Troy pulled her close, and kissed her passionately.

"Get a room, lovebirds!" Chad announced. The couple pulled apart, and Gabriella slid her hand into Troy's and they walked to school together. Troy and Chad kept going on and on about how glad they were that basketball season was finally over.

"It's not like I didn't enjoy it or anything, it's just all the pressure to be good in it, and get good grades and everything," Chad said.

"Since when have you gotten good grades?" demanded Taylor with a smile. Chad rolled his eyes. By now, he was used to all her wise-cracks about him. "Gabi how was your first night with Ian? Things are going to be different once he and your Mom get married." Gabriella stopped.

"Is everything alright?" Troy asked her. She looked at him.

"Yeah," she lied. "Everything's fine. I just forgot to do something at home. That's all." Troy didn't buy her act, but didn't press the matter either. That would just get her mad at him, and that wouldn't help Troy find out what was wrong with her.

After school that day, Taylor invited Gabriella over to her house to study for a little bit. The guys were at Troy's house…playing basketball. Taylor popped some popcorn, and sat on the bed across from Gabriella. They were so absorbed in talking and doing their homework, that Gabriella didn't realize that she had to get home until she glanced at the clock.

"Oh, man! I really have to get going! I forgot to call Ian and tell him that I'm here. I hope he's not worried or anything!" she exclaimed.

Taylor said, "Hey, don't worry about it. You forgot, he's cool. He'll probably tell you to just call and let him know next time."

_Yeah, right_ Gabriella thought as she grabbed her backpack and left.

Ian was sitting at the kitchen table when Gabriella came running through the front door. He stood up as soon as he heard her come in.

"I am _so_ sorry, Ian!" she said, gasping for air. "I went to Taylor's house to do my homework, and completely forgot to call you. It won't happen again."

"You're right; it won't, because you have to come straight home after school everyday to do your work. No friend's houses on a school night," he said icily.

"What! I can't even go to a friend's house to do homework?"

"What part of 'come straight home after school everyday' don't you get? If you disobey me at all this week about this new rule, than you can't go to the party. And you're Mother called and left a message. She said that she forgot to tell me that you're going to Troy's early on Friday, so I guess you may go. But remember, if you don't come straight home everyday, you're grounded."

"You're not my Father! You don't even live here yet!" yelled Gabriella. When she tried to run upstairs, Ian grabbed her, and threw her against the wall.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that!" he shouted, along with various swear words. Gabriella hit her head on the wooden banister, knocking her unconscious.

Gabriella woke up around 2 AM with a splitting headache. She was still crumpled in a heap on the bottom of the stairs. The events from the previous evening came rushing back to her as she struggled to her feet. Slowly, she walked to her room. Ian was still asleep for another hour or so in the guest room. Gabriella collapsed into her bed, unconscious again.

Gabriella was late meeting Troy, Taylor, and Chad, and that wasn't like her. They had agreed to meet ten minutes earlier than usual so they would have more time to talk to their friends. Taylor also needed to "help" Chad with something in the library, but she knew that that wasn't the reason.

"We should go and see if everything's alright," Troy said after a few minutes.

"Dude, chill," Chad replied.

"I agree with Troy here," Taylor said, speaking up. Chad rolled his eyes. He could tell that he wasn't going to win this argument.

"Fine, fine," he mumbled. "Let's go. But when she opens the door and everything's fine, I get to say, 'I told you so'!" Taylor kissed his cheek, and they ran off towards Gabriella's house. When they got there, they found the door locked. Taylor rang the doorbell a few times, but nobody answered. Troy took out the spare key that Ms. Montez had given him after being tired of her daughter locking herself out of the house after school.

"Here, use this," he said to Taylor. Taylor unlocked the door, and the trio went inside.

"Hello!" Taylor called out, standing in the foyer. "Gabi! Are you home?" they got no response. "I'm going to go and see if she's in her room," she said to Chad and Troy. They nodded, and she bound upstairs.

Gabriella was sprawled out across her bed still in her clothes from the day before when Taylor got to her room.

"Gabi, Gabi, are you alright?" she asked her friend, shaking her awake. Gabriella awoke with a start.

"Taylor, what are you doing here?" she asked, _very_ confused.

"You overslept, and we were worried about you." Gabriella sat up. She had a huge knot on her head where Ian had pushed her into the banister. Taylor caught sight of the bump, and asked, "Oh, Gabi! What happened to you?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. I just fell down the stairs last night, and hit my head."

"Are you sure you want to go to school today? I mean, that looks pretty bad." Gabriella nodded.

"I have to go to school. If I miss a day than I'll get behind in my work." Taylor shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she said. Gabriella dug through her closet, and pulled out a light blue prairie skirt and a pink peasant top. "So how was it with Ian? Was he mad at you for not calling?"

"Actually, he was more worried than mad," lied Gabriella. She hated lying to her friends, but she didn't want them to suspect anything. "I understand though. I can't go to your house after school at all this week. I have to come right home and do my homework. If I don't, then I can't go to the party."

"That sucks," Taylor said as she flopped down on the bed. Gabriella slipped into the bathroom to get changed. She came out a few minutes later, tied a simple pink ribbon in her hair, and pulled on a pair of blue slippers.

"Let's go before we're late," she said to her friend, and they rushed downstairs.

Troy and Chad were downstairs talking when Taylor and Gabriella got down there. Troy and Gabriella kissed, and then Troy noticed the bump on her head.

"What happened there?" he asked, running his fingers over it lightly.

"I fell down the stairs, I was in a hurry last night and I tripped. It's nothing," she replied. Troy kissed it gently.

"Okay. Let's go." The couple entwined their fingers, and left for school.


	3. Things Get Even Worse

**Chapter 3: Things Get Even Worse**

Just as Ian had demanded, Gabriella went straight home after school, and finished all her homework before he got him. When he got home, he sat down, and went over all of it. If anything was the slightest bit off, she had to do the whole question (or problem) over again. Ian seemed to find something wrong with almost every question, so it took them nearly an hour and a half to get through them all. When they were done, Gabriella packed up her books for school the next day. She made them dinner, and then she showered, and went to bed early.

It was around midnight when she heard a sound in her room. Thinking it was nothing; she rolled over, and fell back asleep. Ten minutes later, she woke up again with a start. Someone was attacking her. She tried to scream, but a strong hand came down over her mouth.

"Don't you dare make a sound!" Ian hissed in her ear. He was touching her, trying to take off her clothes. Gabriella couldn't believe this was happening to her. She thrashed about, but that only made him madder. He grabbed her arm, and twisted it around, causing her to cry out in pain. She had to do something. The phone was too far away, plus Ian would catch on to what she was doing. Wait, men had a single weakness. In a flash, she brought her knee up to his groin. Ian let out a groan. He crawled off her, but not before slapping her.

"I'm not done with you," he said in an icy tone.

Gabriella didn't sleep the rest of that night. She was too afraid of what Ian might do to her. At 5:30, she got up, and stumbled into the shower. She was starting to get more bruises. Luckily, they were on her torso, so no one would see them.

"Oh, no! Chad's party! I only have a bikini to wear!" She cried out as the hot water poured over her sore body. Once Gabriella got out of the shower, she got out a red East High t-shirt, and a pair of tight fitting jeans. Still having time, she switched on the TV in the family room while she fixed herself a real breakfast.

"Mami comes home in just 2 more days. That's all I have to last, 3 more days with Ian," she told herself as she walked to the corner. Once there, Troy wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her.

"Ready for school?" he whispered in her ear. Gabriella rolled her eyes, and kissed his cheek.

"I'd rather be asleep. I only got a few hours of sleep last night," she replied.

Chad asked, "Why? Up studying for a test that the teacher hasn't even announced yet?" The comment earned him a whack on the back of the head from Taylor. Gabriella smiled, and they began to walk to school.

"No, I just had trouble sleeping. I don't know what it was about," she explained. Troy looked at her. She was smiling, but her eyes were deep; as if they were holding a secret that was tearing her apart. She was hiding something from him, something important.

While Gabriella was in the bathroom during lunch that day, Troy brought up to his friends about how Gabriella was acting a little off.

"I noticed that something was wrong too," Sharpay said. "I was talking to her about the homework from last night in English, and she got really quiet. I asked her if everything was alright, and she said yes, but she wouldn't look me in the eye."

"You know, when people lie, they won't look you in the eye. The eyes are the window to the soul," Kelsi added.

"Hey guys!" Gabriella said from behind Troy. She then slid onto Troy's lap, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I could fall asleep right here," she murmured so only he could hear.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Gabi, but lunch's over in ten minutes, and then you have to get up," he said to her. She frowned, and buried her face deeper into his neck. When the lunch bell rang, Chad reminded everyone of his party which was the next day.

"We know, we know!" Troy yelled over his shoulder as he and Gabriella left. Troy slipped his arm around her waist, and walked her to class.

Gabriella was looking for something to make for dinner when Ian came home that day. She hadn't even said a word to him when he shoved her into the refrigerator.

"I'll teach you to attack me in the middle of the night!" he yelled at her. She couldn't believe it! _He_ had attacked her! Based on what had happened last night, Gabriella knew better than to correct Ian. She wasn't surprised by the shove. She was, however, surprised when Ian took off his belt, and began to beat her. The pain was horrible, and he wouldn't stop. Gabriella knew that her back was almost raw, even though she had on a shirt. Finally, he stopped. He shoved her to the ground, and kicked her several times. Gabriella let out a cry of pain. "Shut-up!" yelled Ian. After a few more minutes of him just beating her, he left her curled up in a ball on the ground.

Gabriella whimpered. She raised her head slightly, just to see if Ian was in the family room. It sounded like he was in the basement. She scrabbled to her feet, struggling a little bit, and ran to her room. It was only 6:45, but she set her alarm clock, locked her door, and collapsed into bed. Then, she began to cry. Why wasn't her Mother calling her? If her Mom called, then she could beg her to come home. It was too late though. Rosa Montez would be back the day after tomorrow. Gabriella would just have to stay at Taylor's house Friday night. She knew that she would get in trouble for not telling anyone where she was, but she was willing to take that risk.

_Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!_ Gabriella lifted her head, and slammed her hand down on her alarm clock. She was sore all over. When she pulled off her nightshirt, almost her whole torso and back was black and blue. There were also long, red welts weaving across her back from Ian's belt. She figured that she just wouldn't swim that night, or else wear a shirt on in the pool so no one would see her upper body. Gabriella pulled on a loose fitting black shirt, and jeans. She grabbed her lunch money and made herself some waffles in the toaster. She sat down and ate them quickly before rushing to meet her friends at the corner just like she's done every morning this week. She was trying to make them think that nothing was wrong. That's the last thing that she needed.

"Hey, beautiful," Troy said as she hugged him. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to his body, she winced slightly. Gabriella hoped that he didn't notice it, but he did. "You still coming early to my house today?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied, and they began to walk to school.


	4. At School

**Chapter 4: At School**

Gabriella struggled through the day. She would shift in her seat every few minutes to try and find a comfortable position. She would also check her compact at least once per class period to make sure that the make up covering her black eye was still on. She didn't have a black eye….not yet at least. Right now, it looked like she just had circles under her eyes. Pretty soon though, it would get worse, and then people would start to ask questions. At last, the bell rang signaling the start of lunch. Gabriella grabbed her backpack, and rushed to the roof. She didn't feel like eating with her friends today. They might get suspicious, and ask questions. The roof was empty, just like she hoped. She sat on the bench, and brought her knees to her chest. It was so peaceful, so quiet. She could think on her own; try and sort out her life.

Meanwhile, the gang was sitting at their usual lunchroom table, wondering where Gabriella was.

"Maybe I should go and look for her," Troy said, standing up. Chad grabbed his arm, and pulled him back down onto his seat.

"Dude," he said. "Don't worry about it. Gabriella's a big girl. I'm sure she's just in the library studying, or meeting with a teacher about a grade she got. You worry too much."

"It's not just that. She's keeping something from me. She won't look me in the eye, and when I gave her a hug this morning, she winced."

"She _did_ say that she fell down the stairs the other day. She could just be feeling the aftereffects of the fall. Sometimes it takes a day or two for the pain to really set in," Taylor suggested, taking a bit of her salad. Troy shrugged.

"I don't know. It feels like there's something more."

Kelsi said, "Troy, you're her boyfriend. You'd be the first person to know if something was really wrong. She'd tell you, not us. Give her time, it's probably something small." He nodded. Maybe he _was_ overreacting.

Gabriella began to cry. She _hated_ Ian for doing this to her. She _hated_ not telling Troy. She hated everyone and everything right now. The wind felt good rushing past her. She wished she could just leave with it, and forget everything. Leave, and never come back.

"No," she said out loud. "Then I wouldn't be with Troy." Gabriella hugged her knees to her chest, and buried her face in her arms. Then, she began to sob. She sat there, on the bench, crying the entire lunch period. When she heard the bell ring, she touched up her make up, and ran to her next class.

Unfortunately, Gabriella's next class was with Troy. The second she walked in the room, he grabbed her arm, and swung her around so her body was pressed up against his.

"Missed you during lunch," he said to her.

"Sorry," replied Gabriella. "I was in the library looking something up, and then I went to our spot to eat. I wasn't really in a social mood. I should have let you know or something." Troy shook his head.

"I'm not your Mother; I was just worried that something was the matter." He paused. "Hey, Gabi, if something was wrong, you'd tell me…right?" Gabriella brushed her lips past his, and put on the best fake smile she could muster.

"Of course," she whispered. "I love you, Troy." Troy kissed her forehead.

"I love you too," she said. The late bell rang, and they scrambled to their seats. Only three more classes to go. Then, Gabriella had to go home, do her homework, and go to Troy's. She then had Chad's party, and she had to ask Taylor if she could stay at her house for the night. In twenty-four hours, her Mom would be home, and everything would be fine…hopefully.

Class seemed to drag on forever. It was the last period of the day. The second the bell rang, Gabriella literally ran out of the room, and charged down the steps.

"Where's the fire, Gabriella?" Jack Bolton asked from behind her. She spun around.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Coach. I wanted to get all my homework done so my Mom and Ian wouldn't hassle me about it later this weekend," she explained.

"So your Mom comes home today?"

"Actually, tomorrow, but I'll be too tired after the party tonight to do much in the way of homework." Jack smiled.

"You'd think after all the time you and Troy spend together that some of your studious behavior would rub off on him."

"With all do respect, Coach, but in my opinion Troy is a hopeless case. Too much time with Chad. Taylor and I got to them a little too late." Jack sighed, and pretended to act disappointed.

"Oh well, nothing lost nothing gained," he said. "I'll see you in a little while, Gabriella. Bye."

"Bye Coach," Gabriella said before running off to meet up with the gang.

"What took you so long?" Troy asked Gabriella ran she ran up to him. He was standing in front of the school with Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Sharpay, Ryan, Bri, Kelsi, and Jason.

"Making fun of you and Chad with your Dad," she replied simply. Troy kissed her on the cheek.

"Well, then you'll have to pay." When Troy started to tickle Gabriella, she began to struggle.

At first, he thought that it was just because he was tickling her, but then she cried out, "Stop, Troy! You're hurting me!"

"Sorry. What's with you lately?"

"Nothing. Can we go now? I have to get my homework done before I can go to your house." Troy looked at Chad who shrugged.

"We'll see you guys later," Jason said as he, Kelsi, Sharpay, Zeke, and Ryan began to walk to their houses, which were in the other direction.

"'K, bye!" Taylor called, waving.

**A/N:** Sorry, short chapter…but in the next chapter, Troy finds out! There are only two or three more chapters left. Short fic, I know, but I'm writing a fluff-filled HSM too, so look for it in the next week or so! Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I was so afraid that no one would like this one when I posted it! You make me feel so loved starts to cry. Well, off to write my next chapter!

Tina101


	5. The Party

**A/N:** Quick note. Thanks to BrookeGavin. You don't have a real penname on so I have to thank you this way! I don't know about your suggestion, I was going to have her find out in this one…dunno for sure though! Oh, and two more things (so much for quick). One, thanks to all my reviewers! I didn't know that this story would be so popular. As of right now, I have 40 reviews, 938 hits, this story is on the favorites list of 11 readers, and the alert list of 20. Thanks you guys! The other message will be at the end of the chapter, so start reading!

**Chapter 5: The Party**

Gabriella looked at the alarm clock resting next to her bed. It was a normal clock (not digital) with music notes all over it. She was supposed to be at Troy's fifteen minutes ago, but she had trouble finding a shirt that she could wear. Without thinking about the fact that her friends would be able to see through it once it got wet, Gabriella pulled a white t-shirt over her bikini, and ran out the door.

Troy was sipping a soda, waiting for Gabriella to arrive. He was worried about her. Not only was it not like her to be late, but she was lying to him. Something _was_ wrong with her, and everyone around them was starting to figure that much out. The doorbell rang, and without waiting for someone to answer it, Gabriella walked in the Bolton household. Jack and Anne had insisted that she was now a member of the family, and didn't have to wait for someone to answer the door, she could just walk in. However, she felt uncomfortable about just walking in, so she rang the doorbell, and entered. Chad would just walk into the house, and make himself at home.

"Hey, baby," Troy said, wrapping his arms around her waist, and kissing her passionately. Gabriella began to kiss him back. "What took you so long?"  
"Lost track of time, sorry," she replied. Troy looked into her eyes. They told him that she wasn't lying about this, but they still held secrets.

"Why don't you sit down? Hungry, thirsty?" Gabriella picked up Troy's can of soda, and took a drink from it.

"Not anymore," she said with a smile.

"Oh, you're in trouble now young lady." When Troy tried to tickle her again, she immediately pushed him away. "Gabi, why are you lying to me? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" There were a few seconds of silence, and they could hear shouts and splashing from Chad's house already.

"Because nothing's wrong! Now let's go!" Without another word, Gabriella stalked out the backdoor to Chad's house, leaving Troy alone and confused.

Jason, Kelsi and Taylor were already at Chad's house by the time Troy and Gabriella got there.

"Hey guys!" Chad called from where he was in the pool. It looked like he was trying to get Taylor to put her head under the water, but she kept on insisting that the water was too cold, and she had to get used to it first. "You know what, you're taking too long." Then, Chad grabbed Taylor around the waist, picked her up, and threw her under the water. Taylor surfaced quite wet, and quite pissed off.

"Chad Danforth!" she sputtered. "You are _so_ dead!" Chad swam away before Taylor could get her hands on him. Troy pulled off his shirt, and tossed it on the chair next to Gabriella.

"Aren't you getting in?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Not right now. Maybe later." Troy kissed her on the lips.

"Sure everything's alright?"

"Troy! If you ask me that one more time, I think I'm going to scream! Why do you keep asking me? Of course everything's alright!"

"I'm only asking, because you're acting different. You'd tell me, right?"

"You just asked me that, and yes, yes I would tell you if anything was wrong." Troy kissed her one more time, and jumped into the pool.

Slowly, everyone else began to arrive. For about half an hour, Taylor sat out with Gabriella, and they talked for a while.

"Are you _ever_ going to get in, woman?" Chad demanded. Gabriella smiled and shook her head. "Come on, for me?" Chad pouted, but that only made Gabriella laugh.

"Why would I do anything nice for you, Danforth?" she asked him. Chad stopped to think. "That's what I thought, I wouldn't." A few minutes later, Troy grabbed Gabriella's arm. "Troy! What the hell are you doing?" she cried out.

"Getting you in the pool," he said simply. Then, Gabriella began to struggle to break free from his grip, but he was too strong for her.

"Come on, Troy. Let me go!" she demanded, but before she could get another word in edgewise, she found herself underwater. Everyone began to laugh and cheer. "That's _not_ funny!" exclaimed Gabriella when she surfaced, making everyone laugh even harder.

"Hey, Gabi. What's wrong with your back?" Ryan asked her. Gabriella looked down in horror. People could see right through her shirt. She immediately swam to the edge of the pool, and hoisted herself up and out of the water.

"I'll be right back," she said as she ran towards Troy's house where she had left her bag with her towel. On her way there, she realized that her dry clothes were at home, and she would _not_ go back there under any circumstances.

Troy looked at his friends and sighed. Maybe now they understood that Gabriella had a secret that she was keeping from them.

"Her back was black, and there looked like there were red lines going across it," Ryan said as soon as he was sure that Gabriella was out of ear-shot.

"Maybe it's her swimsuit," Sharpay suggested. Taylor shook her head.

"No, Gabriella was wearing a two-piece. I remember her going on and on about how she only had one bathing suit and she wasn't even sure if it fit her correctly," she explained. Troy got out of the pool.

"I'm going to go and see what's wrong," he said, and he left. Everyone else tried to go back to having fun, but they were too worried about their friend.

When Gabriella got to Troy's house, both Anne and Jack were in the basement watching TV. She dug around in her bag until she found her towel, and began to dry herself off the best she could. She was fuming. She couldn't believe what Troy had done to her! She didn't want to swim, why couldn't he understand that?

"Hey, Gabi, could I talk to you?" Troy asked from the doorway. Gabriella shrugged.

"I guess so," she muttered with her back to him.

"I want you to tell me the truth. Are you alright?" Gabriella stopped. What was she supposed to say? _No, Troy. Everything's not alright. My step-father to be is abusing me, but that doesn't matter, because my Mom's deeply in love with him_?

"Yeah," she said. "Everything's great. Besides the fact that you _threw_ me in the pool even though I didn't want to go swimming!"

"Everything alright with school?"

"You should know. You're there with me everyday," she snapped. Troy could tell that this would most-likely end with them getting in a fight, but it was worth it in the long-run.

"Everything alright at home…with Ian?" Gabriella froze. Troy could tell that he was close to finding out. He just had to dig a little deeper. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong, and I can try to help you?"

"This is out of your league, Troy. I don't think you can help me here."

"Try me, Gabi." Gabriella sighed.

"Don't tell anyone this," she begged. Troy noticed that she had begun to cry too. Biting her bottom lip, Gabriella pulled off her shirt. Troy took a step back in shock. He wasn't nearly prepared for what he was seeing. Her whole torso was black and blue; some parts were even a shade of sickly yellow. Slowly, Gabriella turned around. Her back was the same way, only there were deep red welts cutting across it also.

"Who did this to you?" he said through his teeth.

**A/N: **One more quick note. Since everyone just _loves_ Ian, I have decided that Mrs. Montez will be marrying him. Okay, now peel yourself off the floor, change your pants, and get back here. I was only joking (I'm in a sarcastic mood right now). Anyway, only 2 more chapters left (theoretically). Oh, wait, I just got an idea like 2 seconds ago! Never mind, make that three! My goal is to finish this in the next week. I'll be out of town soon for a funeral (you get used to that kind of stuff in my family), and want to finish before that and my Dad's surgery (in 2 weeks), so this'll be wrapped up pretty soon. Until next time!

Tina101


	6. Superman

**Chapter 6: Superman**

"Who did this to you?" Troy said through his teeth. "Was it Ian? Tell me!" Gabriella was sobbing; all she could do was nod. "That's it, I'm telling my parents. You should have told me right away, Gabi. I'm going to help you."

"No! You can't tell anyone. My Mom loves Ian, and she deserves some happiness in her life, and that's what I'm going to give her!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"She wants you to be happy too! How do you think she'd feel if she knew that her _only_ child is being beaten for no apparent reason?"

"I did talk back to Ian once, so maybe I did deserve it," she said quietly. Troy pulled her close to his bare chest. He had been in such a rush to get Gabriella that he didn't pull his shirt on.

"No one deserves to be treated like this." Gabriella closed her eyes, and buried her face into Troy's chest. Troy silently had decided that he was going to tell his parents that night after the party was over.

Troy didn't have to worry about telling his parent, though. Anne came upstairs to get something, and saw Troy holding Gabriella.

"Gabi, what's wrong?" she asked before she had a chance to look at Gabriella's back. As soon as she saw it, she exclaimed, "Oh my God, what happened to you? Did you hurt yourself?"

"Mom, Ian did this to her," Troy replied quietly.

"Ian? You mean your Mom's boyfriend?" Anne put down the plate she was carrying. "That's it, I'm calling the police. You should have told us that this was going on. I can't believe he would beat a young girl that he barely even knows!"

"No, Mrs. Bolton, please don't. I don't want to make a big deal about it. It's nothing, really," Gabriella said. Troy looked into her eyes. He could tell that she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Do you mind on telling me what else is wrong?" he asked her. Gabriella looked scared and helpless now.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Nothing's wrong." Troy looked at her. She could tell that he was _definitely_ not buying it. He brushed his thumbs over her wet cheeks. He figured that her cheeks were wet from crying more than from her little dip in the pool.

"Gabriella, I want you to tell me the whole story," he said sternly. Normally, his serious face would have sent Gabriella into peals of laughter, but not today.

"Gabriella, please?" begged Anne.

"What's going on?" Jack asked as he came upstairs. He froze when he saw Troy and Gabriella. "What happened?" Anne quickly filled her husband in. "We're calling the police, and you're staying here tonight."

"Please don't, I can take care of it myself," Gabriella pleaded.

"Gabriella, you're like a family member to us, and we care about you, so we're going to call the police, and then your Mother."

"Dad, Dad, slow down for a second," Troy said, motioning with one of his hands. "Gabi, I want you to tell me what else Ian did to you." Gabriella bit her bottom lip. Once she told the Bolton's what else Ian had done to her, there was no stopping them from calling the police. She looked at the ground.

"He…" she paused. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and yet to her she felt like she was yelling at the top of her lungs. "Not last night, but the night before that, Ian came into my room in the middle of the night, and he….he tried to rape me."

That was it for both Troy and Jack. Anne looked at Gabriella in disbelief. She instantly picked up the phone, and dialed the number for the local police department.

"Um, yes, this is Anne Bolton, and I have my son's girlfriend here who just told us that her Mom's boyfriend has been beating her and tried to rape her this week," Anne told the operator on the other end of the phone.

"Our address is 1539 Maple Way. Okay, you'll be over in twenty minutes? Thanks." Anne hung up the phone. "You'd better get some dry clothes on before the police come," she said to Gabriella. Troy grabbed her hand, and led her upstairs to his room.

He said to her, "Come on, I have a pair of sweats you can borrow for right now."

When Troy and Gabriella got up to his room, Gabriella sat on his bed, while he pulled out a pair of black sweat pants and a matching sweat shirt.

"Here," he said.

"Thanks," Gabriella said quietly. She held them on her lap, and stared blankly at them. "I'm sorry I'm being so much trouble, Troy," she said. Troy crouched down across from her, and took her hands in his.

"You're not causing any trouble. I just wish you told me sooner. My Father and I could have stopped the bastard from doing any of this to you if you had just told us. Gabi, will you tell me why you didn't tell us right away?"

"The first time, I thought it was a one-time thing. The second time, I started to feel like I deserved it, even though deep down inside, I knew that I didn't. I'm sorry." Troy ran his fingers through her wavy hair.

"No," he said. "Don't you dare be sorry. The only thing you're guilty of is being afraid to come out and get help this week." He stood up. "Do you want me to go tell the gang what's going on? They're pretty worried about you." Gabriella nodded.

"You should, so they don't worry when the police car shows up." Troy kissed the top of her head, and left her alone in his room. "Troy?" she said quietly right before he got up to leave. "Did I ever tell you that you're my Superman?" Troy smiled as he shook his head.

"No you didn't baby. Now, get changed." And he left.

"What do you think is taking them so long?" Sharpay asked Zeke. Zeke just shrugged. Everyone was starting to get worried. Suddenly, they saw Troy jogging towards Chad's house.

"Hey, is everything alright man?" Chad asked. Troy shook his head as he sat down.

"Gabriella finally told me what was wrong, and I can't believe it," he replied.

"And?" Taylor asked.

"Ian beat her. Bad too, I saw it. Her whole torso and back are covered in bruises. There are also welts on her back." A few silent tears began to slide down Taylor's face.

"That's horrible! Why would anyone do that to her?" asked Kelsi.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but it gets worse," replied Troy.

"How much worse can it possibly get?" Bri asked him.

Troy said, "He tried to rape her." Nobody said a word for several minutes, because no one knew _what_ to say.

"You're sure?" Sharpay asked at last. Troy nodded gravely.

"She told me herself. She's staying at my house tonight, my parents aren't letting her go home," he explained.

"Well, good!" exclaimed Taylor. "I just got an idea."

Chad rolled his eyes, and mumbled, "Here we go." Taylor shot him a dirty look, and continued.

"Do you think your parents would mind if we all stayed at your house tonight. You know, just to help Gabi out."

"you know," Troy said. "That might actually help her out a little bit. I don't know though. I have to ask my parents and get back to you after the police come." Taylor nodded.

"We'll wait here until after they leave. Chad you should explain this to your parents so they don't freak out when they see the police car," Ryan said. Chad got up, and rushed inside. As if on cue, the gang saw a police car pull up in front of Troy's house.

"I should get going," Troy said, and he jogged back to his house.

Gabriella was curled up on the couch in the family room with a glass of water in her hands when Troy got back. Troy pulled her onto his lap, and gently kissed her cheek. They looked up when they heard Anne and Jack come in with two police officers. One was a short, heavy man and the other was a tall blonde woman. Both had kind faces, which made Gabriella relax a little bit.

The woman held out her hand, and said, "My name is Officer Smith, and this is my assistant, Officer Grier. I assume that you're Ms. Montez?" Gabriella nodded as she shook Officer Smith's hand.

"I'm her boyfriend, Troy Bolton," Troy said as he shook both Officers' hands. Officer Smith sat on the foot stool for the wing-back chair, while Officer Grier remained standing.

"Gabriella, I know this may be hard for you, but I want you to tell us _exactly_ what's been going on at your house this past week," Officer Grier said. Gabriella nodded.

"It all started when Ian got mad at me when I told him that I was coming to Troy's early for this party we're supposed to be at next door right now. My Mom had forgotten to tell him that I was coming early, and he kept on making excuses to that I wouldn't be able to come to Troy's. When he asked me about my homework, I told him that I had nearly 2 hours to finish it before I came here, and all weekend. Then, then he slapped me, and that's how I got this." Gabriella pulled up the bottom of the sweatshirt she was wearing, and pointed to her side where there was a large bruise. She then went on to tell the Officers the rest of her story. She remained fairly composed until she got to the part about the other night. The police officers didn't pressure her, they simply waited for her.

When Gabriella had finished telling her story, Officer Grier asked her if she had anything on under her sweats. She told him yes, her bikini.

"Would you mind taking off the sweatshirt so we can get some pictures of the wounds?" Slowly, Gabriella pulled off her shirt, and stood up. Officer Smith took pictures of her torso and back, and Gabriella sat back down.

"I think we have enough for an arrest, if you could just give us your home address," she said. Gabriella quickly gave the officers her address, and they left. She curled back up on the couch while Troy went to go and talk to his parents. A few minutes later, she heard her friends come through the back door.

"Oh, God, Gabi!" Taylor exclaimed when she saw her.

**A/N:** So, there you go, only 2 or so more chapters left, so enjoy it while you can! But hey, this was a pretty long chapter! And it answered your question, yes, Ian _did_ try to rape Gabriella.


	7. Why?

**Chapter 7: Why?**

"Oh God," Taylor said when she saw Gabriella. She rushed over, and wrapped her arms around her friend. "You should have told us!" she said sternly.

"I didn't want to make a big deal about it," explained Gabriella.

"We're your friends, Gabi, this wouldn't have been 'making a big deal about it', it would have been stopping something that's wrong," said Bri. Everyone sat down on the floor or on chairs, and waited in silence for Troy to get back. Taylor had taken a seat next to Gabriella, and her arms were still around her.

"My parents said yes," Troy said as he walked into the room. Taylor moved over so he could sit next to his girlfriend.

"Yes what?" Gabriella asked him. Everyone noticed that her voice was quieter than usual and less confident too.

"Everyone's going to stay here tonight if their parents say ok," explained Troy. He turned to everyone else. "You guys should probably call your parents soon."  
"We already did," Bri replied.

Chad said, "We had a feeling that your parents would say yes, so we went ahead and called them."

Everyone moved downstairs, where they put in a movie to watch; completely forgetting about going swimming. The whole night, Troy kept a protective arm around Gabriella, who curled up next to him on the couch. Around midnight, the girls fell asleep, while the guys stayed up and talked. Gabriella's head was resting on Troy's lap.

"I don't get it," Jason said. "Why would any man do something this horrible to someone as sweet at Gabi? It just doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't make sense to any of us," Ryan said. Gabriella muttered something incoherent under her breath, and rolled over. Troy gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"They better keep Ian as far away from me as possible, or I might kill him or something," Troy said.

"You'd better not, or else you'll land yourself in jail, and then Gabriella will be _really_ pissed off, and not just at Ian," Chad said. Troy shrugged.

"Good point." The guys talked about sports and school for another hour, before they too went to sleep.

Troy woke up the next morning confused about why he was in the basement, and with something heavy covering him. In less than a second, the events from the evening before came rushing back to him. Gabriella was draped across him, with a blanket over the both of them. She had never put a sweatshirt back on, so he could clearly see the wounds on her back. Smiling slightly, he laid his arm across her back, and fell back asleep.

Anne and Jack had called Rosa the night before. She was deeply upset about what her fiancée had done to her daughter, but her flight wasn't until early the next morning, and the airport couldn't put her on a sooner one. When Anne and Jack explained this to Gabriella, she seemed upset too that her Mom couldn't make it right away, but knew that she'd be with her soon.

When Gabriella woke up, she was lying on top of Troy in her bikini top and his sweatpants. She also had a chiffon blanket wrapped around her, along with Troy's arm. Gabriella ran her fingers through his wavy hair, and began to kiss him lightly on the lips. She was startled when he began to kiss her back.

"Good morning," he mumbled when they finally broke apart.

"Good morning yourself," she replied. "How long have you been up?" Troy stopped to think.

"About thirty seconds before you started to do this," he replied before kissing her again. Troy was about to deepen the kiss, but he heard snickering. He looked over, and found Chad sitting up.

"I'm not even going to go there," he said to his best friend and his girlfriend. "You two need to take it down about fifty notches, and _get a room_!" Gabriella blushed, and buried her face into Troy's chest.

"How much of that did you see?" Troy asked, slightly embarrassed too.

"Everything after, 'Oh, Troy! I love you _so_ much!' 'Oh, Gabi! I love you too!'" Chad said in a high-pitched sarcastic voice while bating his eyelashes. Taylor, of course, had been awake for a while too, and swatted Chad from where she was lying down. "Hey! No fair! I didn't know you were awake! Do you know how low that is attacking a guy while he thinks you're asleep?" Gabriella stiffened. Ian had attacked her while she was asleep, and nobody had been there to save her. Chad saw Gabriella's reaction, and immediately began apologizing. "Oh, Gabi, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's okay," Gabriella said as she looked up, and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I'm glad I told you all."

"You should have told us earlier," Taylor said as she sat up.

Anxious to change the subject, Troy said, "Let's go and see what we have for breakfast." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"That's such a guy comment. 'Let's go get some food'!" she said, causing Gabriella to laugh. She looked at Jason, Kelsi, Ryan, Bri, Sharpay, and Zeke who were still asleep.

"Should we wake them?" she asked. Troy shook his head.

"We'll go and get some food and bring it down here. I'm sure that'll wake them up." Gabriella got up, and pulled Troy to his feet. Chad and Taylor stood up too. They went upstairs, and began digging around for something to eat. Finally satisfied with the limited food supply that they found, they dumped it all in the middle of the room in the basement, and began to eat.

"I hope you plan on sharing that," Sharpay said as she walked out of the bathroom. Troy shrugged.

"Depends on quickly you get over here. Looks like Chad's about to eat all of it," he replied. Sharpay sat down lightly next to Gabriella, and picked out a bagel from the bag.

"What time did you guys go to sleep?" she asked Chad and Troy.

"About 1 in the morning or so. Why? Did we keep you up?" Chad said between bites of his apple. Sharpay shook her head.

"No, I felt Zeke wrap his arm around me; I was only half awake, and didn't feel like looking at my watch."

Slowly, the rest of the gang woke up, and began to make a breakfast out of the random food supply that Troy, Gabriella, Taylor, and Chad had provided. The talked all morning, but soon had to leave. Gabriella was to stay at the Bolton's until her Mom came home. When they were finally alone, Troy pulled Gabriella close into a passionate kiss.

"I want you to remember that I've always been here for you, and I always will," he whispered to her as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I know," she replied.

**A/N: **Short I know, and I'm sorry! The next chapter _will_ be the last one. Alas, all good things must come to an end. . It's going to take place a few months later. I guess that's it. I feel _horrible_ about skipping so much time, but there's not much to write about there. After this, I'm going to start a new Harry Potter one, so if you like Harry Potter, look for it in a few days. It doesn't have a title yet, but it'll be a drama…definitely! So, push the magical review button, and let me know what you think!


	8. The End?

**A/N: **As some smart guy (that's most-likely dead right now) said, All good things must come to an end, so must this fan fiction. I'd like to thank all my reviewer! I feel so loved! I must be honest with you all, I had little hopes for this story, and it's now one of my most-popular. Thanks to all you guys! I'm going to write some other _High School Musical_ fan fictions in the future, but I have a Harry Potter one that I'll be starting immediately after finishing this one (the ideas are driving me _insane_! Lots of love and gratitude! The first part of this chapter takes place directly after the previous chapter, because I realized that I had one idea that I had forgotten, while the second part takes place three moths later. Don't worry; I'll let you know when the change takes place!

**Chapter 8: The End**

Later that day, Ms. Montez called, letting Gabriella know that her flight had been delayed, and that she'd have to spend another night at the Bolton's. Chad and Taylor came over for a little while to have pizza and watch a movie that night. Gabriella had walked around in sweat pants and her bikini top all day, but got cold while watching the movie, and decided to put on Troy's sweatshirt. She pulled the warm shirt over her head, but nearly cried out in pain when she tried to get it completely on. Her bruises and cuts were very sore, and somewhat swollen.

"Here, let me help you," Troy said as he grabbed the elastic band on the bottom of the sweatshirt, and stretched it out, so it wouldn't brush up against Gabriella's skin.

"You should really put something on those cuts, Gabi," Taylor said. Gabriella shook her head.

"They're fine. They're just a little sore," she replied.

"So, some medication will take away some of the pain."

"They're fine, Taylor!" Taylor shut her mouth, and turned her attention back to the movie.

"What was that about?" Troy whispered into Gabriella's ear. "You didn't have to snap at her like that. Taylor's your best friend."

"I don't like people making a big deal about it. I'm just a little sore, that's all. I don't see why people don't understand it!" Troy ran his fingers through her hair.

"Because Taylor loves you like a sister, and I love you more than anyone will ever understand." Gabriella smiled, and cuddled up against her boyfriend's strong body, feeling safe and secure.

three months later

Gabriella grabbed her lunch tray, and sat down next to her boyfriend, Troy. Troy leaned over, and gave her a light peck on the cheek.

"You still coming over after play practice today?" she asked him.

"Of course," he replied. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Troy placed his hand on her thigh under the table. She shifted slightly in her seat, but continued talking with Taylor who was sitting next to her. Gabriella would never be the same again, and everyone knew that, but she was doing better. The shine in her eyes were slowly returning, and she wasn't as jumpy. Now, she would sleep all the way through the night. Before, Troy had told her to call him if she ever had a nightmare. He was used to getting at least one call every night from her. She would normally be in tears, and he would calm her down. Once or twice, she had been so shaken up that he came to visit her in the middle of the night. His parents had been _amazing_ through all of this, and didn't get mad at him. Right after Gabriella came out about her Mom's now ex-fiancée beating her, and trying to rape her, Gabriella would push away Troy's hand if it was on her thigh. Now, it was comforting reminder of the love that they had for each other.

After lunch, Troy and Gabriella walked to class hand in hand. Everyone in the whole school agreed that they were the cutest couple around. Just outside the classroom door, Troy pulled Gabriella close to him for a kiss.

When they both stopped, he whispered into her ear, "I talked to Darbus today, and she said that she had something else to do today, and rehearsal would have to end early. What would you say if I suggested that we go up to the rooftop for a little while before we go to your house?" Gabriella giggled from his warms breath tickling her skin.

"I'd say count me in," she replied before pulling him into class.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on for both Troy and Gabriella. At long last, rehearsal for the musicale ended, and they ran up to their "secret spot" on the rooftop. Troy sat down on one of the wooden benches, and pulled Gabriella onto his lap.

"Hey, Troy, I need to talk to you about something," Gabriella said as she leaned against him. Troy wrapped his arms around her waist, and buried his face into her hair.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah, everything's fine….I guess. I'm just worried about something. We got a call last night, saying that the trial against Ian's going to be soon."

"Don't worry about that, Gabi. Everything's going to work out. I've already talked to my parents, and they said that I can go with you the days that you have to testify if it'll make you feel any better." Gabriella smiled. Leave it to Troy and his parents to always be there for her.

"Yeah, that'll make me _loads_ better. I do believe that we came up here to do something other than talk. Now, you wouldn't happen to know what that is…would you?" Troy smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask," he said before kissing her gently.

Half an hour later, Gabriella and Troy left for Gabriella's house. They were both in high spirits. Gabriella was going to help Troy with his homework, and then they were going to practice their big number for the upcoming musicale. When they got to the Montez's house, they found a police car in the driveway. Gabriella and Troy immediately ran inside, tossing their bags on the bottom of the steps. Rosa was talking to Officer Smith and Officer Grier in the family room.

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked her Mother slowly as she and Troy entered the room.

"Nothing, Officer Smith and Officer Grier were here to ask you a few more questions before the trial begins. That's all," explained Ms. Montez.

"I should go," Troy said, as he turned to leave. Gabriella instantly grabbed his hand.

"No, please stay," she said quietly.

"You're more than welcome to stay Troy. It might be easier if you did," said Ms. Montez. Gabriella and Troy sat side by side on the couch, and waited.

"Gabriella," Officer Grier started. "We need you to tell us what happened once more, so we can compare it to what you said the last time we saw you." Gabriella nodded, and slowly began to recount her nightmare.

**THE END!**

**A/N:** Yeah, this seemed like a good place to stop. There _will _ be a sequel. I'm going to start a Harry Potter fan fiction in a few minutes called _Breaking Through_, so if you like Harry Potter, check that one out! Thanks again to all my amazing and loyal readers and reviewers. I also need a beta, so if you'd like to make me _very_ happy, and have the time to help me, let me know! Lots more love!

Tina101


End file.
